Orientation: Check, UPenn: Up Next

“This isn’t Pinole Middle School,” I told my mother, who for some reason thought that Pinole High School and Pinole Middle School were the same school.  Luckily, there are smart phones and we had time.  But then again the GPS in phones is not always accurate, I say this because it took us to a small shopping center behind Pinole Middle School.  But since we had time, we made it a good 15 minutes before it started.

The orientation had a rough start due to some of the ILCers being late, but regardless to that, the night was still perfect.  As usual, it started with introductions of the chaperones.  Then Don Gosney came in and started the talk of logistics, what to pack, how much to pack, and the overall plan.  We were given papers and forms to help us remember what to pack, which included a checklist.

After the meetings as a whole, we broke up into groups of our University.  There, our chaperone, Ian Lawrence, took control.  He talked about the travel plans. As he talked, my excitement grew and grew to the point that I wanted to go already.  Then my mom told me that we have less than a month to prepare.  I thought to myself, the wait is nearly over, the long months are gone, East Coast here I come. 

After this short group meeting, we met back with the rest of the groups in the multipurpose room.  There Charles Ramsey congratulated us by saying, “It’s over. You have made it. You’re going to the East Coast.”  Then the meeting was over.  The last event was done, UPenn is up next!

T-Minus 25 Days Until Take-Off

I sighed a sigh of relief as I walked into the multipurpose room at Pinole Middle School. I was one of the first students to arrive and I was very pleased with the fact that my father and I made it well before 6:30 PM. Shortly after 6:30, the meeting began with the usual lecture on being on time to all events and following directions. The ILC has helped me to realize more and more how important punctuality is. The meeting moved right along to chaperone introductions. It seems like we are constantly being introduced and reintroduced to our lovely group of ILC chaperones. Now came the fun part! 

We walked down the corridor to the last open door on the left and we were greeted by the UPenn flag which I've become more familiar with over the past couple of months. I took a seat in one of the desks and as I inhaled I said "It smells new in here." I was reminded of my own school while seated in the classroom. Although  my last day of school was only a few days ago, it feels as if I've been on summer vacation for months. The meeting today made me realize that I'm going off to school again in just a few weeks. Looking over the itinerary and our schedule of events got me even more excited for the trip. It seemed like only a few months ago I was hoping and wishing that I'd get into this program and now I realize that in about three short weeks, I along with the rest of my fellow cohort members, will be on a plane headed to the East Coast.

Words cannot explain how ready I am to experience an entirely different way of living! It was also brought to my attention that I have a lot of shopping to do before I leave.